Shaun Wright-Phillips - Compact Qatar 2022 World Cup will benefit players

Former Chelsea and Manchester City star Shaun Wright-Phillips feels that the 2022 World Cup in Qatar would benefit the players, thanks to its compact nature.

The 2022 World Cup, first to be held in Qatar, features eight state-of-the-art venues. Interestingly, all these venues are situated in and around Doha and are only within an hour's distance from each other.

This compact nature has been hailed in many quarters as immensely beneficial to the players and fans alike, as long travel is not required. Normally, travelling long distances to cities all over the host nation is part and parcel of the World Cup, especially in the case of Brazil and Russia in the last two editions.

Teams won't have to change their training bases or hotels during the World Cup in Qatar, which was not the case in the previous editions.

Wright-Philipps, who played for England in the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, feels players will feel much more relaxed when travel is limited.

"When you travel long distances, especially when the games are coming thick and fast, it does tire you out. So it will benefit the players as they will be well rested," Wright-Phillips told Goal during an interaction felicitated by Puma.

The 40-year-old also felt that it will reduce the chances of players picking up injuries which in turn will help the fans watch quality football featuring the best players.

"They are not going to have back problems or strained thighs due to long journeys. So I think it will benefit everybody," he added.

Another benefit of a compact World Cup is the chance for fans to easily watch more than one game in one day which has never been the case before.